The Phoenix Experiment
by Alpha-Lonewolf
Summary: Zuko is in a strange world. Everyone is after him and his power. Who can he trust when everything is a stranger to him? Will he ever find a way back home? One person may be the key to his hopes.
1. Chapter 1

_**Lone Wolf**_

_**Here is the story that was inspired by reviewer Flawless Flower. Zuko is in a strange world and oddly somehow inside a water tank made of glass. How did he get here? Where is he? How will he get back home? We will soon find out.**_

_**It all starts after the sector seven plate falls and the Cloud, Tifa, and Barret are about to head off to Aeris' Mother's house.**_

_**ATLA/FFVII Xover.**_

_**I do not own or wish to copy write neither game nor cartoon.**_

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><p><em><strong>The Phoenix Experiment<strong>_

_**Chapter 1: Strange Worlds**_

_Cloud just started to walk off back towards sector eight. Barret was right in the middle of his hatred for Shinra and the loss of his three companions. 'Seriously, if I want over acting drama, I'll watch a soap opera show._' Cloud stressed out in his head. '_I want to stop Shinra from causing anymore damage like this, but crying out loud and expressing your feelings is not going to change anything or stop them._' Sometimes Cloud wondered why they even needed Barret in the first place. All he does is shout and over dramatize everything. He's glad that destroying reactor's was over, he couldn't stand to listen more about that taking life from the planet crap anymore.

"Someone help!" a voice suddenly ripped Cloud from his thoughts. It sounded like some old man. Maybe a survivor from sector seven.

Without hesitating cloud dashed over debris and crossed ditches towards the cry for help.

After he cleared the last obstacle in his way, he landed right in the middle of a pack of whole eaters surrounding an old man trapped under a metal plate that miraculously didn't crush him. Cloud quickly started slicing through each of the small creatures with his buster sword easily chopping each one and sending small amounts of their blood against walls. The whole eaters suddenly realized that they were out matched by an oversized opponent and all fled into the junk off into the distance. Cloud turned back to the trapped elder.

The elderly man looked up to see his rescuer approach. "The spirits surly are with me to answer my call."

'_Oh great, another religious nut._' Cloud groaned. He then placed his sword between a pipe and the plate as a means to lift it just enough for the elderly man to crawl out. After he was out and free, Cloud sheathed back his sword and pulled the man up by his arm. "Are you a survivor from sector seven sir?" Cloud asked

The man looked at him a bit of confused of the question, but then saw what he was referring to. "If that was the name of that place that was destroyed, then yes." he said sadly.

'_Great. I hope he doesn't start getting all sappy._' he sighed in thought. He then realized one troubling question about the old man. "How were you able to survive that fallen debris? That thing would have crushed you right on the spot." Cloud wondered.

The man only smiled mischievously. "Family secret my good sir."

This only annoyed Cloud further about the old man. "Whatever. I don't have time for this." he started to walk off to resume his journey.

But then the man caught up with him quicker than Cloud expected of an old man. "Wait!" he called.

Cloud sighed heavily and turned impatiently. "What?" he rudely asked uninterested.

The old man seemed to ignore Clouds impatience. "I am looking for my nephew." he explained. "I heard he has been seen in this very gloomy city. He is almost seventeen years of age and has a very distinctive mark on his eye. He has golden eyes like mine and sort of has a short temper. Have you seen him?"

"No." Cloud said uncaring. He had no time to for finding lost children.

The old man persisted. "Please, he is my only family left and he is the last heir to the throne of his nation." he said hoping that the meaning of 'heir' would give Cloud the indication that great rewards would be included in finding this nephew of his.

Cloud, still being a mercenary, had stopped him from leaving. "He is royal?"

The man nodded. "The reward will be great. In gold." he brought out a good sized sack of gold. Cloud eyes widened at this desperate offer. "Half now, and half after you bring him back."

Before cloud could answer, Tifa and Barret came up from behind. "Yo Cloud! Where did you go?" then Barret saw the old man holding out some sort of sack of something heavy. "Hey cloud who's the old fart and what's goin' on here?"

Iroh was shocked at the sight of the new comers. The man's skin was very dark than he has ever seen and he was curious of the thing that now replaced his hand. Plus he was almost twice the size of a man. The woman had very long hair than he thought was necessary for a woman to have, but the hair was not the thing he stared at. She wore very revealing clothing than he ever saw a woman wear out in public. But yet he could tell that she wasn't one to take lightly by her combat gloves and strong physical appearance. But now wasn't the time to try to flirt with younger woman, his nephew had to be found.

Cloud then spoke up. "It looks like we have a secondary mission."

"What?" Tifa spoke up surprised. "Cloud, we don't have time doing any side quests. Aeris is in trouble and…"

Cloud spoke up cutting her off from continuing her usual lectures on him. "He is this man's nephew and only family, he is heir to the throne of a nation, and all we have to do is keep an eye out for him. I'll give you the details along the way to save Aeris alright!" he slightly shouted. Then cloud tossed the sack in the air a couple of times. "Besides, this man paid us half up front in gold already. How hard can this job be?"

Barret rubbed his bearded chin in thought. "So all we have to do is keep an eye out for this kid and bring him back to his old man here?" Cloud nodded. "Well that does sounds pretty damn easy. We're in!"

"Barret." Tifa pleaded.

"Oh calm down Tifa it's not like this will cause us any trouble or anything." Barret reasoned. "Besides, you just can't let a royal rich kid wander around alone and away from his grandpa here can ya?"

"Um Uncle actually." the man corrected him.

"Yeah sure whatever." Barret shrugged off.

"Barret!" Tifa scolded. "Can't you be nice to someone for at least one minute?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." he said waving her off.

"Don't worry sir. We will do all we can to find your nephew." she reassured him.

"Thank you. I will be most grateful if you find him." then he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Tifa called out. The man turned around. "Where are you going?"

"There is another friend of mine that I need to find as well." he explained.

"Well what is your name and the name of your nephew so we know exactly who to look for?" she asked.

He then bowed to them as he introduced himself. "My name is Iroh and my nephew's name is Zuko." Tifa bowed back, unsure of whether she should or shouldn't, in respect as Cloud and Barret just exchanged odd looks at each other towards the unusual man. "And I wish you all the luck for finding my nephew. Maybe we can have some of my famous tea if we meet up again." then he was of on his own journey.

The three just stared after him in confusion. "Crazy old geezer." Barret said out loud. "alright let's go after Aeris and find this Zuko kid along the way." Barret was off leaving the two behind.

Tifa then looked to cloud. "What do you think of this?" she asked skeptically.

Cloud just started to walk off after Barret. "I don't care. We'll just try to find him as we rescue Aeris."

Tifa stayed back a bit in thought. "I have a bad feeling about this." she said to herself.

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><p>All he heard was the sound of water. But the kind of sound you hear when you're submerged and yet he was still breathing air. How was this possible? Was he dead and in the spirit world? No. his head hurt from that light that appeared during his address to the nations after they had won the war. You can't feel pain after you're dead.<p>

His eyes opened but not too wide. It was true. He was under water. The only lights were under and above him everywhere else was shrouded in darkness. Also, there was something on his mouth that was somehow feeding him air to breath with. He was in shorts only. His other clothing was gone. '_What is going on here?_' he thought in a panic.

He tried to swim forward, but was stopped suddenly by a hard invisible wall of some sort. He felt the barrier and found that it was the same feeling as the glass on a mirror. But this glass was different. He could see through it. '_What kind of trick is this?_'

He tried to feel his way for an opening somewhere, but soon found out that he was in some kind of strange glass container. Was he in some sort of prison for fire benders? None of this made sense.

"Well look how is finally wake." a cackling voice spoke out. If the air feeding contraption and the water wasn't there, he would have demanded to know who was there. "How is my special experiment doing today?"

'_Experiment?_' he wondered in shock. '_Where am I?_'

"I suppose you are wondering where you are right now." he continued. "You are in my laboratory at Shinra Tower. You are a rare specimen indeed."

He was beginning to panic now. What kind of experiment was he going to conduct? Why was he referred to as a rare specimen? What kind of place was this Shinra Tower? These questions plagued his mind.

"You are no doubt the first and last of your kind." the crackling voice continued. "You possess the very fires of Ifrit himself without the use of materia. You could possibly hold the key to ruling this pathetic planet."

'_Won't this guy ever shut the hell up!_' he thought irritably. '_What does he mean first and last of my kind? There are many fire benders before and after me. Who is Ifrit? What is materia? What is he fucking talking about!_'

Just then, the lights flashed on causing momentary blindness to him momentary blindness, but when he opened his eyes he was in a state of pure shock and confusion. All around him in the room was covered in a mixture of grey and reflective metals all around. The room hummed the sound of strange machinery that was far beyond his knowledge, he saw flashing lights, some sorts of mechanical devices moving around, wires of all sizes everywhere, and unnatural lights shining overhead not lighted by fire of any kind. His mind was starting to feel over stressed with all the lights and humming sounds of the strange machinery. But when he lifted his head and opened his eyes once again, he jumped back in the water away from a unnaturally disturbing face staring right at him wearing small glasses of some type over his eye and his face was almost as pale as the dead. His hair was pitch black and long and placed into a pony tail. Why a pony tail? He wore a white coat that almost covered his whole body.

'_What is this place!_' he wondered fearfully.

The man only gave a creepy cackling laugh which sent chills down his spine. "You Zuko are to be my top priority of my goals." he said as he tapped the glass of his glass container and then walked off to who knows where.

Zuko in a state of fear. Fear of where he was, what type of situation he was in, how that man knew his name, what was to become of him, and mostly fear of that he was alone and no one knew where he was. Wasn't his life already done with bringing misery to him every step of the way? Did he not suffer enough all sixteen years? Wasn't enough people taken away from him already? Did he have to lose another new found family after losing his old one?

Zuko believed this is what he deserved for everyone he had once hurt and betrayed. This was his judgment. This was his punishment.

Zuko curled up into a ball and backed up as much as he could against the wall of glass as much as he could and wept of never seeing his friends, family, and home again. But his biggest regret was that he would never get the chance to find his mother now he knew that she was still alive. He hated life. It only brought him misery, heart ache, and loneliness.

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><p><strong>Lone Wolf<strong>

**Well this is the beginning of a new story about Zuko. Like my other story, constructive criticism. Thank you Flawless Flower.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Lone Wolf**_

_**Well not much to say except, when cloud and his friends made it to the tower and begin spying on the meeting of Shinra and his staff, the plot thickens. Enjoy.**_

_**I do not own or wish to copy write neither game nor cartoon.**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2: A New Power Source<strong>_

Cloud and the other's began to crawl through the duct of the rest room over to the meeting room of Shinra. The smell was naturally unpleasant for obvious reason, but one must do what he must to spy on the enemy's plan. They finally reached the air vent right over the group and listened in on their plans. It was mostly on something about a Neo Midgar or something as such and the promise land. Cloud didn't really care much, Tifa was intrigued by such information, and Barret was just oblivious to the whole conversation. But then Shinra was beginning to speak about Aeris, which got everyone's attention.

"Ahh professor Hojo, I hope you have news on our ancient friend and her knowledge of the promise land." he said assuming much from Hojo.

Hojo just calmly walked up and announced. "I am sorry Mr. President, but I have decided to put that experiment on hold."

The president shot up from his chair in fury. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "My plans for the new Midgar are a priority, nothing else."

Hojo just stood impassive towards the presidents outburst. "What I have found out about a recent specimen of mine is surely greater than that of the ancients."

Shinra's mood changed at this information. "What do you mean. the ancients have a power that will lead us into a land filled with pure energy."

"What is so important about draining energy from a far off land when it could be drained from one person?" Hojo questioned.

This caused Shinra to sit back in his seat with a new found interest. "Go on professor."

Hojo grinned at his persuasiveness. "I have recently found a man with the power to control an element."

A woman in red began to laugh. "You old fool. Anyone can control elements these days."

Hojo glared at the woman. "This power does not come from a pathetic rock my frivolous Ms. Scarlet."

Scarlet furrowed her eyes in irritation at Hojo.

"What do you mean?" a short stout bearded man asked in a loud grumbling voice. "Are you saying that this man can summon elements without the use of materia?"

"Or magic." Hojo added.

The president was indeed interested in this new light of information.

Then a man in a blue suit interjected. "Hojo are you asking us permission to conduct human experiments on this man?"

Hojo nodded. "You can't expect me to extract this power out of him by asking do you Mr. Reeve?"

"How old is this man?" Reeve demanded.

"He is a young man." Hojo answered shortly.

Reeve stood up from his chair. "How. Old. Is. He?" he demanded sternly.

Hojo narrowed his eyes at him. "Around the age of sixteen, close to seventeen."

Reeve slammed his hands onto the table. "You are asking us to give you permission to conduct human experiments on a boy!" he shouted out. "President Shinra you can't give into demands like this." he pleaded to Shinra.

Shinra sat back in his chair and folded his hands in thought.

"President Shinra?" Reeve persisted.

"This new discovery of power must be harnessed at any cost." he declared.

"President Shinra!" Reeve raised his voice in disapproval.

The stout bearded man spoke up. "Reeve think of it. What if this raw power were to fall into the hands of our enemies or someone that wished to overthrow us? It is better we harness this power for ourselves before anyone else does. We'll be the greatest superpower in the world."

Reeve then looked to Hojo. "And what is this element that is so important to extract from this boy?"

Hojo paused to gain their attention. "The ability call out unlimited supply of fire and lightning." the whole room and the air duct were shocked with wonder of what such being can posses such power. "Yes. Unlimited. Now what is more important? The single life of one measly little boy or a way to supply our citizens with a sure and golden future that will make their lives that much more easier?" he pointed out even through he did not care at all of what the people could gain from this discovery.

It was almost unanimous. Every staff member stood up from their chair in favor of the experiment except for one man.

A fat stout man in a brown suit leaned over Reeve. "Come on Reeve, the staff majority is against you. Just suck it up and go with the flow. No one will blame you." he said in a jolly voice. That is what Reeve hated about this man. He could decide on a very inhumane thing and still be jolly and oblivious to everything wrong with the whole idea.

Reeve, seeing that he had no other choice, stood with the rest in favor of the experiment.

"Don't worry Reeve, this will all be a speck in the past. Just think of how much more richer you will be when we posses this new power." Scarlet said in a smug sinister voice,

At this Reeve left the room with a fury.

The president called attention to the meeting. "The choice is made. Hojo you have full authorization to use what ever you may need to conduct the experiment."

"And what of the Ancient Mr. President?" He asked.

Shinra sighed in thought. "You may do whatever you want with her. She has no further use for me now." he responded coldly.

Hojo smiled sinisterly as an idea formed in his mind. "As you wish Mr. President." then he turned to leave.

"This concludes our meeting for the new plans for the new Midgar."

They all stood and began to leave the room, but Scarlet stayed behind looked around the room as she noticed something. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa cringed at the thought of being noticed. She surveyed the room and spoke to herself. "Something stinks." but then she ignored it and left the room.

Now it was safe for them to talk.

Tifa looked at the other two in worry. "We have to do something! Their going to kill a boy!" she yelled in a hushed voice.

Cloud shook his head. "We are here to rescue Aeris not get sidetracked."

Tifa was shocked. "Cloud!"

"Tifa we need to get Aeris out first who knows what Hojo will do to her now that she is expendable." Cloud reasoned.

Barret was uncomfortable with all of this. "Can we just save Aeris first and try and see if we can do something for this boy next? I just want to get this over with so I can get close enough to fuckin fill the fat ass Shinra full of lead!"

"You can stay here and do that if you like, but we're leaving with Aeris right after we rescue her. Other than that you're on your own." Cloud warned irritably. Barret always jumped into trouble like a monkey into a giant fan because he wanted to get a treat.

"Wha.. You… I… uh… urrgh!" he stuttered in irritation before giving up. He was so easy to get started for a battle and just as easy to change his mind. "Fine!"

They crawled back out of the duct and began to follow Hojo to his lab.

I was still in my water prison. It's been a day and a half mostly of this white coated man who looks like he has been drawing blood out of me by some small needle in a glass container. He placed these wires to my head and body. Every time he goes to a console of some type this chamber starts to glow around me changing from a bright light to a deep red color.

This place is starting to drive me out of my mind. This machinery, these unnatural lights, these bone rattling humming sounds, everything! This water keeps my fire from giving me peace of mind and this thing covering my mouth keeps me from meditating to keep my breathing at a calm pace. Worst of all I can feel no warmth in this water and I am cut off from the sun in this dead cold room.

Then there was a sudden mind shaking pulse inside this chamber. The water started to slowly drain out of this chamber through some holes through the floor that appeared out of nowhere. When the water fell passed my head, I was quickly trying anyway to rip the mouth covering off my face. Then without warning ,it fell right off. I didn't hesitate to rip these wires off me.

I quickly tried to light a small fire in my hand. It was the size of a candle when it lit up, but it was good enough for me. Right now fire was the only thing that reminded me of home. A tear slowly ran down my cheek and I let it. I had nothing else to hold on to and there was no one I knew who would even care if I cried. It didn't matter anymore.

Just then a part of the floor opened up and I felt as well as heard something coming up. I did my best to stand after floating in a tank for a day and a half. I was a little shaky, but I held my ground.

I was suddenly shocked to see that it was a young woman in a pink dress and a red vest. Her was in a long braid and had big bangs and bright blue eyes. She looked at me in confusion as well. Wouldn't blame her. How many young men do you see with a disfigured face and a huge scar on your chest.

I turned away from her to make her a little less disgusted with my appearance. I was okay with this back home but this was a whole new different world where they saw me as the freak. This was the life I was going get used to from now on. The irony of it all. I was raised not to trust anyone with anything and do everything on my own. But then I find the best friends I ever had and teach me that it's ok to ask for help and to trust others. Now here I am in reverse again. No one to trust, no one to befriend, and that how it's going to stay.

"Who are you?" the woman asked behind him.

I just curled up tighter in ball trying to ignore her. I don't need any other worldly people in my life. Right now all I want is… mother.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk." she pried more.

"I don't want anything to do with this world!" he raised his voice.

She pulled back confused and a bit timid at the sudden outburst. She just took it as him having a hard life. "Why is Hojo keeping you in here? You're just a boy."

"I AM NOT A BOY!" he shouted in rage fiercely facing at her. The girl cringed back at the sudden heat that radiated off from him. "And how the hell should I know what that crazy man wants with me! My life was perfect until I was flung into this damn spirit forsaken place! Just leave me alone!" then he spun back around and dropped himself as far as he could from her.

The woman felt a great amount of pity for Zuko. She could tell by his anger and what he said that he was hurt, lost, and alone. She knew what that felt like. She felt even more sorry for him when she heard him sniffing and shake. She could not even begin to imagine what pain he was feeling. He was so young and he already had received major injuries that would have most likely scarred him for life.

Zuko could feel someone slowly approaching him from behind. He tensed up and tried to move further away as much as he could. Then he felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder and jerked away. "Don't touch me!" he growled.

She could feel the pain in his words and loss of all hope. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a strong embrace with him facing her.

"LET GO OF ME!" he shouted and struggled to get free. Zuko did not want to burn her, but he was slowly losing his patience. "I SAID LET GO OF ME NOWW!" he yelled out a second time.

"It's ok. Everything will be ok." she said in a soothing voice. She wanted to do anything she could to try to help him in his state of loss. She began to rub the back of his head soothingly like a mother. "Don't lose hope."

"Let go! I don't need anyone!" he was beginning to raise his temperature in order to force her off of him. He had enough of letting others in only just to lose them again and adding more people would only cause him more pain. "Don't make me hurt you!" he threatened.

But this woman was persistent to ease his pain that she only tightened her embrace on him. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. Just let go of what is hurting you. Don't lose yourself in holding on to your pain. Whoever you are and where ever you came from, never forget who you are and hold on to it."

'_Never forget who you are my son.'_

'_Everything I have done I did for you..'_

'_You didn't give up, that shows the kind of person you are.'_

'_Never forget that I love you.'_

'_Never forget who you are my son.'_

'_I love you Zuko.'_

Zuko's mind ran though every memory of his mother's last words for him before he saw her last. Anger and despair was now replaced with grief and sadness. His body's temperature began to lower to his original body temperature and began to shake with the coming of tears that threatened to fall from his face.

"Don't worry, just let it go." she said with her own sadness in her voice for the scarred prince.

Zuko lost all reason to care and awareness and embraced her in a tight embrace with tears pouring out of his eyes "Why did you leave me?" this question surprised and confused her. "Why did you have to leave me behind. Why couldn't I come with you? Why didn't you try to find me? Why couldn't I find you after everything was over?"

His embraced tightened even more as he cried even harder. This was also having the same affect on her as well. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't find you. I'm sorry that I failed you again. Forgive me mom."

This broke the woman into her own state of sadness and grief for the boy. She couldn't imagine what had come between him and his mother to cause him so much pain and guilt, but it broke her heart to see this boy take it all upon himself. She started to cry right along with Zuko share his pain.

"It's not your fault, it never was your fault. Don't blame yourself. You did all you could. Please be strong for her." she tried her best to comfort him. This only came with more sobs and tears.

"Well I see you have taken a liking to this young specimen." a voice mocked.

Both looked up to see Hojo staring right at them from outside the chamber.

"Hojo let him go!" the woman demanded "Can't you see how broken up he is? Let him go so he can find his mother!"

He only cracked a smile. "All children lose their mothers now and then, even animals. What makes him so different, Ancient?"

"My name is Aeris! He is _Not_ an animal! Let him go!" she demanded more sternly.

"And lose all these months of research on him? I think not. Besides I have a special plan for the both of you." he said with an evil grin. Aeris held Zuko protectively. "I was glad to see you've grown so fond of each other so fast, it will make things go so much quicker."

Aeris had an uneasy and terrifying feeling in her heart. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Oh, it's not what I'm going to do to him, it's what he's going to do to you." both Zuko and Aeris frozen a shocked look on their faces as they stared at the grim pale face of the mad scientist. "He will get you pregnant so you can produce offspring with the combination of powers of the ancients and this boys affinity with the power of fire and lightning"

Zuko suddenly jolted up to come between Aeris and Hojo. "You sick bastard! I will do no such thing! If you try to touch her, I will burn off your limbs you twisted fuck!"

Hojo laughed at the threat. "Well if you won't then, she will."

Aeris was disgusted at the assumption that Hojo made. "You are out of your mind Hojo." She would never do that even if he threatened to torture her. But what she didn't expect was for what he was about to say.

"Fine then. If you won't, I will just have to torture this boy then with _other_ ways of extracting his powers then."

Aeris was at a loss for words or ideas of what to say or do. She didn't want to put this boy through this but she couldn't watch him endure any more pain than what he had already received. She didn't know what to do.

Hojo turned to leave his computer. "I hope to hear a satisfying answer when I get back."

The two captives dropped together to think of a way to avoid this horrid situation. The question was will they ever find one?

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><p><strong>Lone Wolf<strong>

**Well chapter two read and criticize. Just to be clear, Aeris and Zuko are only acting out as a mother to a child and a child to a mother. I'm not sure if it's good enough, heck I'm not sure if any of it's good enough. So send me a review. Oh yeah and I'm doing fine in Africa. A little hot and busy, but I'm doing fine if you're wondering.**


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